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(No Model.)

I R. H. mums.

DISTRIBUTING PRINTING TYPE.

No. 283,762. Patented Aug. 28 1883.

N. PEIERS. Phmo-Lrthagnpher. Walhjngiou. n. c

UNTTE STATES PATENT OEEicE.

ROBERT H. DAVIES, OE MILWAUKEE, \VTSCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-TlVENTIETHS TO LUTHER REES, OF EMPORIA, KANSAS, AND SAMUEL J. DAVIS,OENEWVARK, OHIO.

DlSTRlBUTlNG PRINTING-TYPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,762, dated August28, 1883.

Application filed August 24, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT H. DAVIES,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of\Visconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Process or Method for-Distributing Printing-Type and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the.invention,which willenable others skilled in the art to which II) it appertains to apply anduse the same.

Heretofore printingtype have been distributed singly, the workman takinga handful of matter or type from the form after use on the press, or forastereotype. He separates the type letter by letter byaldeft movement ofthe muscles of the thumb and forefinger, and gives each type a throwinto its particular box until the-handful of type or matter is thusdistributed and each type placed in. the box where it belongs.

The object of my invention is to separate and distribute the type by ashort and simple process, first separating all the as from all the otherletters, when they can be put in the a boxes; then separating the bsfrom all the remaining letters, which may then be placed in the b boxes;then separating the cs, and so on successively till all the charactersin the form are properly separated and distributed. This object isgained by means of an application of the principle of specific gravity,and is based upon the well-known law that if a solid is immersed in aliquid it will eitherfioat on the surface or sink to the bottom, ac-

3 5 cording as the specific gravity of theliquid is greater or less thanthat of the solid.

In the drawing, Ais the vat; B is the sievelike type-receptacle; Ois thetank containing the liquid used; and D is the faucet through which theliquid passes into the vat.

To apply this principle in the distribution of printer s type adifferent specific gravity is given to each character or letter in theseries of characters or letters. The as have a different specificgravity from the bs, the Us from the cs, the cs from the ds, &c., eachletter or character increasing or decreasing, as the case may be, inspecific gravity from that which precedes or follows it, such increaseor decrease being a definite proportion I of the entire difference inspecific gravity be tween the lightest and heaviest. The differ entialspecific gravity of the letters is secured by varying the proportions ofthe materials entering into the composition of the type, and bysubstituting different materials of greater or less specific gravity, asmay be necessary for procuring the required variations.

The type manufactured in the manner here inbefore described are made ofthe material known as celluloid, or of aluminium alloyed with othermetals. The liquids used are solutions of the salts of mercury, thoughmany of the well-known solutions of high specific gravity will be foundsuitable.

Vhen the type made and graduated inthis manner as to specific gravityare thrown into a vat or vessel containing a liquid of sufficientspecific gravity to bear up the next to the heaviest letters, as the bs,all except the heaviest-say the as,will' float, while the heaviest, theas, will sink to the bottom. Theas, (if the type are made in thisratio,) having a greater specific gravity than the liquid, and greaterthan all the other letters, will sink to the bottom of the vat orvessel, and will thus become separated from all the other letters. Forthe purpose of removing the type thus separated from the bottom of thevat or vessel of liquid without removing any part of the liquid asieve-like receptacle .is placed at the bottom to receive the type asthey descend, and the types which have thus sunk are removed, havingfirst gathered the floating type to one end of the vat simply by re- 8 5moving the sieve-like typ e-receptacle, and they are then thrown intotheir proper boxes. Having in this manner removed the heaviest type,

as the as, from the bottom, the specific gravity. of the liquid isreduced by adding the requisite proportion, but no more, of a liquid ofless specific gravity, when the next heaviest letter, as the bs, willsink to the bottom, but no others. The bs are then removed by removingthe typereceptacle, as before. By repeating this process as many timesas there are gradations of type or characters-that is, letters, figures,punctuation marks, and spaces-diffbrently graduated as to specificgravity, all the type, letters, and characters I00 constitutingthe formof matter are properly, rapidly, and correctly separated from each otherand distributed in their respective boxes. This processmay be reversed,as follows: The type are dumped or thrown into a liquid of less specificgravity than all except the lightest character or letter,'which may bea. The as will then all float upon the surface, and may be skimmed offseparately and removed, while all the other letters or characters willsink immediately and simultaneously to the bottom. The as being thusremoved the specific gravity of the liquid is strengthened by theaddition of the proper proportion, and no more, of a liquid having ahigher specific gravity,when the next lightest letters or characters, asthe bs, will rise to the surface and may be removed. This process may becontinued until all the type are properly separated and distributed.

The striking advantages of my invention, and of the process hereindescribed and set forth, are

First. Absolute correctness in separating the type. As the process ofdistributing is effected by an absolute law of nature, all of the'asbeing of the same specific gravity and all the other letters orcharacters being of a difierent, specific gravity, the separation mustof necessity be perfect, and there can be no mixture of the differentletters, or dirtyments for applying the process the separation of eachclass of letters, as the as, the bs, 8100., might be accomplished in avery short period of time. Probably a half an hour would be the extentof time necessary for distributing the heaviest forms.

Having described my invention with sufficient clearness and completenessto enable any one to make and use the same, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A font of printerstype made of various degrees of specific gravity,the variation in the specific gravity of the type being a definiteproportion of the entire difference between the specific gravity of thetype having the least and the type having the greatest spe- I cificgravity, substantially as described.

2. A font of printers type made of various degrees of specific gravity,so that no two characters or spaces in the series of charactype made ofvarious degrees of specific gravity in a liquid, and then varying thespecific gravity of the liquid in the ratio of the variations in thespecific gravity of the type as many times as there are characters andspaces in the series of characters and spaces to be distributed until,sort by sort, each of. the characters and spaces in the series ofcharacters and spaces is separated from each and every other characterand space, substantially as described.

ROBERT H. DAVIES.

\Vitnesses R. B. LANE,

FRANK L. Liiwroiv.

